You Found Me
by MakoRain
Summary: Tifa, I'm sorry I'm late. Lost...Cloud found Tifa in the church almost lost to him forever...insecure in his feelings and what was to come...surrounded by peace and most of all love in her arms...
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I thought it was time for a classic Cloti after all the ups and downs I've written recently so here you go, enjoy, and please R&R as I love to hear what you think ^_^ Standard disclaimers apply.

**"You Found Me"**

by MakoRain

It was one of those nights again, where he couldn't help thinking about a past he longed to forget. _Alone._ A life full of pain, sorrow, hope and sadness could never amount to any good for anybody else, could it? It was a question that always frequented his thoughts when he least wanted to but most needed , or so it seemed. He just wished the dreams would stop. It was bad enough to have to relive those moments in his waking hours but why did they torture him when he needed to forget them the most?

Even now, he couldn't help it. The open road cleared his head in the most dangerous way, but he knew Aerith wouldn't pull him to her plane of existence as she had before; she was gone now. And that was a good thing…right? He saw her leave with Zack, as it should be, and remembered how happy they were together. It was the first natural smile he had felt on his face for quite some time and he could see how everyone else felt the same as he did…happy…for the healing of Geostigma, for another defeat of Sephiroth, and most of all, for him.

_I'm not alone._

All of this followed him to Seventh Heaven and left a haunting smile as he walked past the kid's room, seeing the door opened a crack. Naturally drawn to the light, he peaked inside and felt a wave of warmth wash over him at the sound of Tifa's voice lulling the children to sleep.

_Not anymore_.

He used to join her, tucking Marlene and Denzel in for the night as she sang…before he started working late into the night. He missed her lullaby, the one that made her beam like the mother she never realized how much she was.

_Drift off to sleep, my dear one my dear one_

_It's time to say goodnight._

_The stars see on high, my child my child_

_With the moon to shine it's light._

_Float in the clouds, my darling my darling_

_In the sky up above._

_I'll keep you safe, my cherished my cherished_

_With my eternal love._

He never remembered her doing this before he left and that's because she hadn't. Tifa started singing this only after he left, and he had a sinking feeling that he was the cause of it. She promised to always be there, and he…hadn't.

With a sigh, he opened the door and quietly made his way to her side, leaning down to smooth Denzel's hair to the side and kiss Marlene's forehead; to leave some kind of impression that he was there and would be. It wasn't a verbal proclamation of his love, but it was the best he could do for now.

He could feel her eyes on him before she said his name softly and felt his lips pull up in response

"Cloud."

_I'm not alone, not anymore_. The words he left the past behind on echoed through his mind as he looked at the young woman by his side; where she was and always had been. How had he never noticed the shimmer of her long auburn hair as she moved, the glow of her skin that radiated warmth, the shine of her chocolate eyes looking into his very soul?

Cloud's mouth could not reply and so he simply took her hand, leading her out the door and shutting it quietly behind her. She squeezed his hand as if to ask what he was doing since he was facing away from her.

His mind was clouded in the past melting with the present and the only constant he had was her. Tifa was the one who watched him leave, the one who called as often as possible just to see how he was doing, the one who was waiting for him to return, always waiting.

_Lost and insecure, you found me, you found me_

Waiting for him at the church, she had almost died, and lying in his arms, she had said something he wanted to hear again and again.

They were in front of her bedroom door as he turned to face her before thinking better of it and pulling her inside, shutting it quietly behind them. He didn't want to wake the kids after all. Now that there was more space between them, he had to fight from pacing the long wooden planks of the floor and focus on her, only her.

"Tifa…when I saw you in the church…when I thought you...you were-"

_Lost and insecure, you found me, you found me. Lying on the floor, where were you, where were you?_

Her finger placed on his lips stopped him from saying something he could barely imagine yet alone speak. His mind was not so kind and wouldn't let it rest, playing the scene over and over again until now. He had to tell her, had to let it out or he'd go mad.

"Shhh. It's okay. You found me." She smiled and kept her finger on his mouth, signaling that all was well. That's what was screaming in his head, that she had found him first and made him the man he was today. _The only one whose ever known who I am, who I'm not and who I want to be. _But it wasn't okay the way things were now, he knew it wasn't and hadn't been for a long time…because of him.

_Why'd you have to wait, to find me, to find me?_

"When…I found you, I couldn't breathe. It was like I'd been hit and the wind was knocked out of me." She still held his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Remember, when I held you? You felt so small…broken…cold…that my heart stopped."

_Why'd you have to wait, where were you, where were you? Just a little late, you found me, you found me._

She brushed away something on his cheek, a tear he didn't feel until then. "You weren't moving and I didn't know what to do. I almost dropped you in relief when you scolded me for being late."

Tifa chuckled and felt his body relax a little next to hers, the tension lessening with each word. She didn't speak so as to let him say what he needed to say. It had been so long since he had opened up to her that both were in reverie as he continued.

"It was a relief to feel you alive in my arms, Teef. Before I passed out beside you in the flowers, you sighed words that made the pain go away." In the flowers he had slept by her side, the first peaceful sleep he'd had in years and he wanted that once again.

Her eyes widened and her cheeks went rosy with a blush. So she did remember…and she didn't deny it even though her eyes looked as if she wanted to, that she was as unsure as he was. That made him smile.

"Seeing you there made me realize something…something that I've known for a long time but was never around to say…"

"Cloud, you don't have to. I…I'm just glad that you know now."

_I've been calling for years and years and years and years..._

Her smile was radiant and her eyes were peaceful, no longer questioning if he was there to stay. No more second guessing, no more over thinking, no more worrying, no more of the past, only seeing him and he had the courage to go on.

"I should have noticed sooner, Tifa. And I'm sorry that you had to say it first."

"I didn't have to-"

He stopped her cute argument with a kiss so sweet, so pure, she practically melted in his arms. He caught her easily, holding her to him as he faltered in the power of her lips on his and leaned against the chest of drawers behind them. When they parted, he saw her eyes glowing and lips red with his kiss and she was so at ease he couldn't believe she was still standing up. Technically, she was leaning against him against the dresser but still. His breath was shaking as she rest her head against his staggering heart, sure she could hear it as loud and clear as it pounded in his ears.

Tifa's face tilted up towards him after their moment of bliss. "That's not what I said."

He looked down at her, startled. She had to be kidding. Her eyes teased him and he smiled helplessly. Leaning down, he hugged her closer to him and whispered in her ear, "I love you." Satisfied, she kissed his cheek. "I know, I just wanted to hear you say it."

"You found me."

_Lost and insecure you found me, you found me...Just a little late you found me, you found me._

As it was meant to be.

The End.

A/N: I know the lullaby doesn't rhyme all the way through but I reread it and didn't want to change it…plus, I couldn't think of anything better to replace it with lol. Song influence "You Found Me" by The Fray and here's the credit I give at including their words in my story.


	2. Extended Version

A/N: I was debating which version of this fic to put up and of course I couldn't decide so here's a little extra ^_^

"You Found Me"

by MakoRain

It was one of those nights again, where he couldn't help thinking about a past he longed to forget. _Alone._ A life full of pain, sorrow, hope and sadness could never amount to any good for anybody else, could it? It was a question that always frequented his thoughts when he least wanted to but most needed , or so it seemed. He just wished the dreams would stop. It was bad enough to have to relive those moments in his waking hours but why did they torture him when he needed to forget them the most?

Even now, he couldn't help it. The open road cleared his head in the most dangerous way, but he knew Aerith wouldn't pull him to her plane of existence as she had before; she was gone now. And that was a good thing…right? He saw her leave with Zack, as it should be, and remembered how happy they were together. It was the first natural smile he had felt on his face for quite some time and he could see how everyone else felt the same as he did…happy…for the healing of Geostigma, for another defeat of Sephiroth, and most of all, for him.

_I'm not alone._

All of this followed him to Seventh Heaven and left a haunting smile as he walked past the kid's room, seeing the door opened a crack. Naturally drawn to the light, he peaked inside and felt a wave of warmth wash over him at the sound of Tifa's voice lulling the children to sleep.

_Not anymore_.

He used to join her, tucking Marlene and Denzel in for the night as she sang…before he started working late into the night. He missed her lullaby, the one that made her beam like the mother she never realized how much she was.

_Drift off to sleep, my dear one my dear one_

_It's time to say goodnight._

_The stars see on high, my child my child_

_With the moon to shine it's light._

_Float in the clouds, my darling my darling_

_In the sky up above._

_I'll keep you safe, my cherished, my cherished_

_With my eternal love._

He never remembered her doing this before he left and that's because she hadn't. Tifa started singing this only after he left, and he had a sinking feeling that he was the cause of it. She promised to always be there, and he…hadn't.

With a sigh, he opened the door and quietly made his way to her side, leaning down to smooth Denzel's hair to the side and kiss Marlene's forehead; to leave some kind of impression that he was there and would be. It wasn't a verbal proclamation of his love, but it was the best he could do for now.

He could feel her eyes on him before she said his name softly and felt his lips pull up in response

"Cloud."

_I'm not alone, not anymore_. The words he left the past behind on echoed through his mind as he looked at the young woman by his side; where she was and always had been. How had he never noticed the shimmer of her long auburn hair as she moved, the glow of her skin that radiated warmth, the shine of her chocolate eyes looking into his very soul?

Cloud's mouth could not reply and so he simply took her hand, leading her out the door and shutting it quietly behind her. She squeezed his hand as if to ask what he was doing since he was facing away from her.

His mind was clouded in the past melting with the present and the only constant he had was her. Tifa was the one who watched him leave, the one who called as often as possible just to see how he was doing, the one who was waiting for him to return, always waiting.

_Lost and insecure, you found me, you found me_

Waiting for him at the church, she had almost died, and lying in his arms, she had said something he wanted to hear again and again.

They were in front of her bedroom door as he turned to face her before thinking better of it and pulling her inside, shutting it quietly behind them. He didn't want to wake the kids after all. Now that there was more space between them, he had to fight from pacing the long wooden planks of the floor and focus on her, only her.

"Tifa…when I saw you in the church…when I thought you...you were-"

_Lost and insecure, you found me, you found me. Lying on the floor, where were you, where were you?_

Her finger placed on his lips stopped him from saying something he could barely imagine yet alone speak. His mind was not so kind and wouldn't let it rest, playing the scene over and over again until now. He had to tell her, had to let it out or he'd go mad.

"Shhh. It's okay. You found me." She smiled and kept her finger on his mouth, signaling that all was well. That's what was screaming in his head, that she had found him first and made him the man he was today. _The only one whose ever known who I am, who I'm not and who I want to be. _But it wasn't okay the way things were now, he knew it wasn't and hadn't been for a long time…because of him.

_Why'd you have to wait, to find me, to find me?_

"When…I found you, I couldn't breathe. It was like I'd been hit and the wind was knocked out of me." She still held his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Remember, when I held you? You felt so small…broken…cold…that my heart stopped."

_Why'd you have to wait, where were you, where were you? Just a little late, you found me, you found me._

She brushed away something on his cheek, a tear he didn't feel until then. "You weren't moving and I didn't know what to do. I almost dropped you in relief when you scolded me for being late."

Tifa chuckled and felt his body relax a little next to hers, the tension lessening with each word. She didn't speak so as to let him say what he needed to say. It had been so long since he had opened up to her that both were in reverie as he continued.

"It was a relief to feel you alive in my arms, Teef. Before I passed out beside you in the flowers, you sighed words that made the pain go away." In the flowers he had slept by her side, the first peaceful sleep he'd had in years and he wanted that once again.

Her eyes widened and her cheeks went rosy with a blush. So she did remember…and she didn't deny it even though her eyes looked as if she wanted to, that she was as unsure as he was. That made him smile.

"Seeing you there made me realize something…something that I've known for a long time but was never around to say…"

"Cloud, you don't have to. I…I'm just glad that you know now."

_I've been calling for years and years and years and years..._

Her smile was radiant and her eyes were peaceful, no longer questioning if he was there to stay. No more second guessing, no more over thinking, no more worrying, no more of the past, only seeing him and he had the courage to go on.

"I should have noticed sooner, Tifa. And I'm sorry that you had to say it first."

"I didn't have to-"

He stopped her cute argument with a kiss so sweet, so pure, she practically melted in his arms. He caught her easily, holding her to him as he faltered in the power of her lips on his and leaned against the chest of drawers behind them. When they parted, he saw her eyes glowing and lips red with his kiss and she was so at ease he couldn't believe she was still standing up. Technically, she was leaning against him against the dresser but still. His breath was shaking as she rest her head against his staggering heart, sure she could hear it as loud and clear as it pounded in his ears.

Tifa's face tilted up towards him after their moment of bliss. "That's not what I said."

He looked down at her, startled. She had to be kidding. Her eyes teased him and he smiled helplessly. Leaning down, he hugged her closer to him and whispered in her ear, "I love you." Satisfied, she kissed his cheek. "I know, I just wanted to hear you say it."

He was so happy that he buried his face in her hair, breathing her in, not even realizing his feet were moving towards the bed she was pulling him to until she fell back onto it and he followed suit. Blushing furiously, he quickly rolled off of her and settled at her side. She leaned up on her elbow, looking at him intently as her face hovered above his, a curtain of hair surrounding them as they kissed again and again, each kiss lasting longer than the last. She sighed into his lips and he drank her in, never getting enough.

"I love you, too." Her words were muffled in his neck as she kissed his skin there.

He smiled from ear to ear and kissed her shoulder. "I know, but I love hearing you say it."

The night was for putting the past behind them and putting a new beginning in motion. He thought he knew Tifa as well as any best friend could but she let him see sides of her she'd never shown and then some. He found a tickle spot behind her knee as he kissed her senseless, swallowing her giggles as she caressed the back of the neck just the way she found he liked. They spent hours getting to know each other again through soul and spirit. He talked the most he ever had in his life until the words trailed off into comfortable silence, watching her sleep before he followed suit in the most peaceful dreamless sleep since the field of flowers.

Cloud yawned and stretched, noticing something was different before he opened his eyes, confirming his worse nightmare: Tifa wasn't there. He hadn't envisioned last night in his head, had he? No way could last night have been a hallucination but he started to panic on instinct. In a dash he was out the door and down the stairs, relieved to see the brunette beauty behind the bar. As he entered, she turned around to face him, her smile turning into a look of bewilderment as he caught his breath.

"I..." He had to take deep breaths before he could speak clearly again, the run mixing with his almost panic attack at finding her gone and almost losing his mind.

"I woke up...and...and...you weren't there." He closed his mouth before he could mention the crazy part. No need to scare her, she probably thought he was crazy as it is. He relaxed as her words comforted him and his touch soothed his soul.

"You found me."

_Lost and insecure you found me, you found me...Just a little late you found me, you found me._

As it was meant to be.

The End.

A/N: I know the lullaby doesn't rhyme all the way through but I reread it and didn't want to change it…plus, I couldn't think of anything better to replace it with lol.


End file.
